Rangers sweep Monarchs twice in last at-bat

Monday

Jul 15, 2013 at 10:48 PMJul 15, 2013 at 10:50 PM

By John CurtisDodge City Daily Globe

The Dodge City Rangers won a pitching duel in the first game against the Thomas More Prep Monarchs and won the nightcap on their last at-bat to finish the doubleheader sweep at Demon Field to improve to 27-5 on the season.The Rangers won the first game 2-1 and completed the sweep by a 7-6 score.The first game saw Rangers' Grant Meininger outmatch TMP's Pierce Schippers after both pitchers threw complete games. Meininger allowed a run, six hits ad four walks while striking out five in seven innings. Schippers gave up seven hits in 6 2/3 innings on his time on the mound.The Monarchs got three runners on base with singles in the top of the third inning, but could only score one run on a bases-loaded walk issued to Jordan Gottschalk.Dodge City answered with a run in the bottom of the third when Andrew Balderaz singled, stole second and third and scored on a throwing error as the Monarchs tried to get the runner out at third.Dodge City won the game in the bottom of the seventh when Dawson Davis hit a single, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a RBI single by Austin Weiser.The Monarchs scored on a wild pitch in the top of the first of the nightcap, but Balderaz walked, stole second and third and scored on another wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1.Dodge City took a 2-1 lead when Collin Gifford walked and later scored on a fielding error in the outfield, and the Rangers made the score 5-1 in the fourth on RBI singles by Weiser and Balderaz, and a RBI groundout by Davis.The Monarchs scored two runs in the fifth and sixth, and another run in the top of the seventh before the Rangers were able to make their comeback to complete the sweep.One run scored on a passed ball on strike three to Hunter Ontiberos when the Monarchs' catcher, then Davis got the game-winning hit with the bases loaded over a drawn-in defense.Dawson Davis was the winning pitcher.The Rangers return to Demon Field tonight for another doubleheader, this time against the Great Bend Chiefs.